Feds shutting squid fishery for year to avoid overfishing

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The federal government is shutting down the shortfin squid fishery later this week to avoid exceeding quota for the year.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the fishery will close at 12:01 a.m. on Friday until Dec. 31. Squid fishing permit holders will not be allowed to fish for, catch or possess more than 10,000 pounds of shortfin squid per trip.

The shortfin squid fishery is located mostly off of Rhode Island. The squids are used to make calamari. U.S. fishermen brought more than 5 million pounds of them to shore in 2015.

NOAA says 95 percent of the quota for the squid has been caught, and it is standard procedure to shut down the fishery when it hits that mark.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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